Northern Ireland keep Worthington

Nigel Worthington has agreed to continue as Northern Ireland manager for the duration of the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign.

Terms agreedThe former Sheffield Wednesday FC defender and Norwich City FC boss replaced Lawrie Sanchez for the country's last six UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifiers and was happy to sign a permanent, two-year contract with the Irish Football Association, saying: "I'm delighted – with some good results and a little bit of luck, I may even extend my stay."

Tough groupWorthington, 46, was capped 66 times by Northern Ireland, and after retiring from playing in 1998 he went on to manage Blackpool FC, Norwich City and, briefly, Leicester City FC. Northern Ireland, third in their EURO qualifying group, have been drawn to face the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and San Marino in the race for the 2010 World Cup.

The UEFA word, the UEFA logo and all marks related to UEFA competitions, are protected by trade marks and/or copyright of UEFA. No use for commercial purposes may be made of such trade marks. Use of UEFA.com signifies your agreement to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.